stutz



(No Model.)

' L. F. STUTZ.

PUZZLE.

No. 479,475. Patented July 26, 1892.

uin 7 UNITED STATES PATENT PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,475, dated July 26,1892.

Application filed April 21, 1892. Serial No. 430,054:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS F. STUTZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

It is the object of my invention to provide a game or puzzleillustrating the discovery of the American Continent by Columbus withits attendant difliculties and disappointments.

To this end my invention comprises a base having, preferably, though notnecessarily, a curved hemispherical or spherical surface having thereonthe representations of two continents or countries-such as Spain andAmericaand having between said countries a space representing the ocean,in or on which are adapted to move one or more travelers or slidingobjects, preferably in the shape of and representing ships.

It is the object of the person playing the game or attempting to solvethe puzzle to cause the ship ortraveler to move from the placerepresenting Spain across the intervening space or ocean to thatrepresenting America. This is accomplished by the manipulation of thebase or globe in such manner as to cause the ship or traveler to fall bygravity in the direction desired. The ships are caused to remain uponthe surface of the base or globe by their engagement with guidessuch asundercut or equivalently-shaped slots or grooveswith'which the surfaceof the globe is provided. This engagement is preferably effected bymeans of wires or shanks which are attached to the ships, passed downthrough the groove, and carry on their lower ends cross-pieces, heads,or weights of greater dimension than the width of the groove.

The difficulties of the game are caused by the manner in which thegrooves are traced upon the surface of the globe so as to intersect eachother. This arrangement is such that when the globe is manipulated andthe traveler or ship is caused to gravitate from one point to anotherthereon it will tend to follow the curves of the grooves which lead backto the place of starting, and can with difficulty be caused to passtransversely into the intersecting grooves which would lead them to thedesired destination.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown inthe accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into effectwithout, however, intending to limit the improvement in its practicalapplications to the particular construction which, for the sake ofillustration, I have delineated.

In said drawings,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a game apparatus orpuzzle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same.Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the device, showing theactuatingweight as separate from the ship or traveler.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a base or globe having thereon,as shown at 2, the representation of a continent or country-forinstance, Spain-and having at 3 the representation of another continentor country-for instance, America.

4 is the intervening surface, which represents the ocean and in or onwhich are formed grooves or guides 5. I do not confine myself to anyparticular manner of arranging these grooves; but it should be such aswill tend to make it difficult for the ships or travelers which runtherein to becaused to move from 1 to 2. For instance, in thearrangement illustrated the grooves are formed with portions 6, whichlead back toward the point 1 and which are easily followed by the ship,and portions 7, intersecting transversely in such manner that it will bedifficult to cause the ship to enter and follow them. The grooves arepreferably of the character illustrated and best seen in Fig. 2. These Iterm undercut, meaning thereby that beneath the groove or slit there isa space 8, which follows the groove, of greaterwidth than the grooveitself, so that a weight or head, which can follow easily along thespaces 8 cannot pass through the groove. The weight and head may beformed by one and the same piece, as shown at 9 in Fig. 2, or they maybe separate, as illustrated at 9 and 9 in Fig. 3. In either case thegravity of the weight causes the movement of the ship; but in the latterconstruction care must be taken to keep the weight behind the head orcross-piece 9 which can only be done by careful and proper manipulationof the globe.

The globe may be made of any suitable material, such as wood,composition, or metal; but I prefer to mold it in sections of a plasticsubstance, such as papier-mach. It may also be made of stamped or moldedpaper or paperpulp. In the construction illustrated the separatesections are shown at 10 arranged to form between them the grooves orguides and spaces 5 and 8 and cemented or otherwise attached to acentral support 11. The latter can be made hollow, as shown, with anopenin g 12, through which the travelers can be introduced into theinterior of the device when not in use. The opening can then be closedby a plug 13.

The ships or travelers are shown at 14, having shanks 15, adapted topass down through the grooves 5 into the spaces 8. The lower ends ofsaid shanks have cross-pieces or heads, which may be formed with and byweights 9 or by separate parts 9 as already described.

It will be understood that my invention may be employed to illustrateother events than the voyage of Columbus-for instance, the voyage ofAmcrigoVespucci or that of Ulysses.

At certain points the grooves 5 may be interrupted or blocked byobstacles representing rocks, which will impede the further progress ofthe ship unless the grooves leading to such obstacles (which latter areindicated at 16 in Fig. 1) be avoided.

What I claim is 1. The herein-described game or puzzle, illustratingthediscoveryofAmerica, and comprising a globe or curved surface andships or travelers having a loose sliding connection therewith andmovable thereon, substantially as set forth.

2. Theherein-described game orpuzzle, consisting of a globe providedwith the representations of two continents or countries and with anintervening space representing the ocean, undercut orequivalently-shaped intersecting grooves in the said space, and shipsengaging. said grooves and movable therein, substantially as set forth.

3. A game or puzzle consisting of a globe having intersecting groovesand ships or travelers engaging said groovesand movable therein by theirgravity, as the globe is manipulatcd, over the surface of the globe,substantially as set forth.

4: A game or puzzle consisting of a hollow globe having intersectinggrooves, an opening into the interior of the globe, having a cover orplug, and detachable ships or travelers adapted to engage said groovesor be stored within the globe, substantially as set forth.

5. A game or puzzle consisting of a suitable base adapted to bemanipulated or tilted by hand and having an undercut groove or slit, atraveler engaging the groove, and a separate weight in the inner orwider part or space of the groove and adapted by such manipulation to bemoved to actuate the traveler, substantially as set forth.

6. The herein-described game or puzzle, consisting of a globe havinggrooves leading in a direction which is not desired to be pursued,travelers adapted to follow said grooves by their gravity as the globeis manipulated, and intersecting grooves meeting the first-mentionedgrooves at an angle and leading to the desired destination,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

LOUIS F. STUTZ; lVitnesses' S. G. HOPKINS, II. N. Low.

